Red Sox Game 106 (Cle 6, @Sox 5) Reloaded

QUOTES OF THE NIGHT: “He’s pretty sore. He’s had a bone bruise in that area and when he got jammed that thing swelled up real quick and got discolored.” — Terry Francona on Kevin Youkilis, who left the game after two innings with a jammed right thumb; he’ll have an MRI today (ProJo)

“I’ve been going as hard as I could possibly go. Sometimes it gets to a point where the body just stops. It’s telling me that you’ve got to give it a break.” — Mike Cameron, who went on the disabled list after an exam found the abdominal tear he’s played with all year has grown; Daniel Navareplaced him on the active roster

Just one man’s opinion, but his season’s finished. I’d suspect not long in the future, we’ll learn that Cameron is having the surgery to repair the tear that he’d talked about having in the offseason, though it’s certainly possible he’ll try to stick it out until it’s clear the Sox aren’t going to make the playoffs. (The ProJo would seem to agree.)

“Obviously, I feel bad. He was blocking the plate, and I felt I had enough time to get in there with my foot. It was a hard slide. I feel awful, but it’s part of the game.” — Ryan Kalish, whose slide into the left leg of Cleveland catcher Carlos Santana; Santana left the field in an air cast, his knee having gruesomely twisted on the play (Globe)

“The first three innings was probably some of the best stuff I’ve had all year. I really felt good about it. … Sixth inning, I kind of lost the feel and pretty much stunk. I did a little bit of everything tonight, I guess.” — John Lackey, who failed to finish the sixth, walking five and allowing nine hits for the game (Herald)

“The Red Sox are 14-14 against the Indians, Orioles, Royals and Mariners, the bottom four teams in the league. The Yankees are 23-8 against those teams, the Rays 21-7.” – Peter Abraham, Boston Globe

COLUMN THAT MAY RILE SOME PEOPLE: “It was hard to watch the Sox’ 6-5 loss to the moribund Indians last night. They started Eric Patterson in center and Ryan Kalish in left. Mike Cameron, who has played all season with an abdominal muscle tear, was mercifully placed on the disabled list, and Daniel Nava was recalled from Pawtucket. Kevin Youkilis went to the bench after hurting his thumb in the second inning. Victor Martinez replaced Youkilis at first base and Kevin Cash came in to catch.

“Meanwhile, Ellsbury sat with his teammates in the dugout, still unable to play. It was not unlike that July night in 2004 when Nomar Garciaparra sat and stewed while Derek Jeter dived into the stands and the Yankees beat the Red Sox in extra innings. That was the night it was clear the Sox had to trade Nomar and that’s the way it feels with Ellsbury now.” — Dan Shaughnessy, Boston Globe

The Herald notes say that “Ellsbury was examined by a doctor before the game and had to pack a bag for what looks like just one more minor league rehab game in Pawtucket tonight. Another re-evaluation will follow the PawSox appearance and should lead to a determination on when he will be activated from the DL.”

MORE QUOTABLES: “At the time of the game, it was probably trying to be a little too aggressive. I think Bogie knows that. You’re not going to go through a year and be perfect. … I understand what he’s trying to do, but it’s probably not the time to be as aggressive as he was.” – Terry Francona on third-base coach Tim Bogar, who had two runners thrown out at the plate in the game; he was speaking specifically of the Kalish play (WEEI.com)

Everyone’s got that quote this morning, but Alex Speier makes it part of a larger story that incorporates a conversation he had with Bogar in Anaheim.

“You’ve just got to keep the ball low. Especially in left field here, it’s kind of a shorter throw, so you can put a little less on it and keep it down and it’ll get right to him.” — Ryan Kalish, on his throwing strategy from the Fenway Park outfield; he made two excellent throws in Monday’s game, the second reaching home plate on the fly from left field (ProJo)

“Tomorrow should be a good day.” — Mike Lowell, while leaving the Sox clubhouse after the game; the implication is there’ll be a resolution to his playing situation today (ESPN Boston)

“It’s about not thinking about it, or way too much. I needed to quit worrying about the numbers. I think going home during the All-Star break has a lot to do with it, seeing family and friends and not worrying about baseball, not thinking about it. It did a lot of good for me.” — PawSox outfielder Josh Reddick, who’s watched fellow minor-league outfielders Ryan Kalish and Daniel Nava called up to the majors recently instead of him (ESPN Boston)

BRTD’S PLUS-MINUS

Our per-game point system — grading players on a +3 to -3 scale — based loosely on hockey’s “Three Stars of the Game.” An attempt to parse out just who’s carrying the most (and least) weight on the field that’s highly unscientific, but in a lovable way. Season totals will be posted at the end of each series, and periodically with my Sunday “Inside Baseball” column in the dead-tree S-T.

Marco Scutaro (+1): Didn’t chase, but the double-play ball in the fifth was still a bit of a crusher. Especially given the game ended as a one-run affair.

Another solid note from today … Boston’s been in 37 one-run games this season, tied for the most in baseball with the Cubs. The Sox are 19-18 in their 37, which isn’t great until you consider the Cubs are 13-24.

J.D. Drew (0): The foul out in the ninth was a real gut punch. He’s got to do better than one ball out of the infield all night, especially when his by-default title of “best arm in the outfield” just got ripped away by Kalish. Seeing his throw in on the Shin-Soo Choo single against Dustin Richardson … way off line and nowhere near as strong.

Kevin Cash (0): Watching Scutaro trying to tag on his short fly to left felt like a nice parable for the Kevin Cash Offensive Experience. That fate would create a situation where he has to bat third in a game feels like proof that our existence as a species is merely some sort of sick joke.

Perhaps even more amazing, Cash’s .143 average is still just about three times what Craig Grebeck offered up during his career-capping 2001 stint with the Red Sox: 2-for-41, or a .049 average. “The Grebeck Line” is not going to catch on, I don’t think.

Jed Lowrie (0): Actually likes his at-bat in the ninth trying to battle his way into another walk-off hit, but it wasn’t to be. Watched too good a pitch for the second strike against him … kudos to Chris Perez for some solid work closing it out.

David Ortiz (+1): Extended the hitting streak to 11, which is rather impressive given I don’t think he got a straight fastball to swing at all night.

Victor Martinez (-1): Performed well as a fill-in at first base, but the foul out in the eighth with two on was a big miss.

Adrian Beltre (+3): Not only was it his 40th multi-hit game of the season, it was the first time he’s knocked in all Boston’s runs in a game. (He’d come close a handful of times.) Didn’t stay in the strike zone all night despite not swinging as much as we’ve seen, but made some very big contact when he did. Tidy little eight-game hitting streak he’s got going on, with half the hits going for extra bases.

Ryan Kalish (+2): Three hits, on base four times and how can you not love the arm from the outfield? That’s the sort of skill that the Red Sox haven’t really had out there much of all in recent years. Drew and Manny were threats, but never to that extent (and neither of them were guys who were probably still coming into the skill).

Billy Hall (-1): Had his chances, but nothing came from the slew of sinkers he got to hit.

Eric Patterson (-1): Ugly. Two good chances early and he couldn’t put a ball in play. Least he stayed in the zone, even if he was overmatched.

Daniel Nava (0): A fine return, but just fine. Here’s hoping Darnell McDonald doesn’t need to go on the shelf, because I certainly think he’s a better choice than Nava.

John Lackey (-2): Some tremendous sharpness with his breaking ball, getting almost all 11 of the swings and misses he ended up with via that route. Yet as he said, he lost the feel rather decisively — he gave up seven hits and five walks in the last 15 guys he faced. He kept trying to go to his two-seam fastball instead, and the Indians ate it alive.

Really, it was a Tim Wakefield-like meltdown. Against Cleveland, who entered the game batting .248 as a team. (And that number doesn’t even really take into account the rookie-heavy lineup they trotted out on Monday.)

Manny Delcarmen (0): One batter, one out. Better than a lot of outcomes, I suppose.

Dustin Richardson (-1): Tried to throw a fastball down the pipe just to get ahead of Shin-Soo Choo with the bases loaded and got caught. Managed to keep it from getting worse, but that’s faint praise.

Tim Wakefield (+1): It was 6-1 when he came in and 6-5 when he was replaced, right after he’d finished off the eighth with back-to-back strikeouts. Actually beat up Cleveland with knucklers in the upper half of the strike zone, which seems a little odd given his history, but these are sometimes the things that happen against awful baseball teams. I’m just glad that he’s now pitched as a 44-year-old, ending my need to write Red Sox PR a letter demanding Dennis Eckersley maintain his due as the oldest-ever Sox pitcher because of his appearance in the ’98 playoffs. (I get on tangents sometimes. You’ll find it down the bottom.)

Daniel Bard (+1): Tidy work in a one-run game. Cleveland’s strategy of not offering at the Bard slider only works if he doesn’t throw it in the zone.

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Jon Couture

Jon Couture has been covering the Red Sox for The Standard-Times since the 2003 playoffs, when management asked him the odd question, "Would you like to go to New York to cover the first two games of the ALCS?" Though he missed the memorable Don ... Read Full